London police stand down following reports of subway shooting

Police were seen keeping people back from the Oxford Circus subway station in London, U.K. on Nov. 24, 2017. (Jason Hodkinson/Twitter)

London’s Metropolitan Police reported Friday that they had stood down following reports of a possible terrorist incident at a busy subway station.

In a news release, the police service stated that officers were sent to the Oxford Circus station just after 4:30 p.m. (London time) following several reports of shots fired at locations both in the subway station and on nearby Oxford Street.

Due to the nature of the calls, police treated the situation as a potential terrorist incident, with armed officers cordoning off a large area around the station in order to conduct a search.

Officers ultimately found no evidence of a gunman, any casualties or signs that shots had been fired.

With the situation no longer posing any threat to the public, police said they would maintain a heightened presence in the area to reassure the public, but said people who had taken shelter in businesses near the train station could leave safely.